TBTL Episode #4703: “Lucy’s Third Movement” (April 10, 2026)
Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh
Episode Overview
This Friday edition of TBTL sees Luke and Andrew digging deep into the joys and trials of raising a new puppy (Lucy), the saga of a Seattle judge defrocked over a parking scam, and the evolving pains of online information in the IMDb era. They balance signature tangents—ranging from Mariners baseball and pooping puppies to reminiscences of early radio classes—with listener correspondence on roller-coaster trauma and tales of near-road-rage. At its core, this episode’s theme revolves around managing the messiness of everyday life (literal and figurative), finding humor in the mundane, and the comfort of growing older alongside the TBTL community.
Key Discussion Points & Timestamps
1. Modern Life: “Why Does My Toilet Need Wi-Fi?”
00:00–01:21
- Becca’s satirical riff opens on everything needing an app or login—socks with Wi-Fi directions, app-activated fridges (“If you want juice, just download the juice app...”).
- Sets up the general tone: lampooning the absurdity of a hyper-connected world.
2. Friday Feels and Weather
01:21–03:11
- Luke welcomes listeners from the Madrona Hill studio and basks in the beautiful weather.
- Announces weekend yardwork plans, including tackling rampant dandelions.
- “Living in the midst of a podcast boom...” as a meta reference to TBTL’s legacy.
3. Lucy the Puppy—The Trials and Triumphs of House Training
03:13–12:25
- Andrew reports on adjusting to life with Lucy, the new puppy, crediting Genevieve for handling most “headlining” poop events.
- Big milestone: Lucy’s moved to pooping outside after struggled attempts (“We were really struggling with getting her to go number two outside.” — Andrew, 06:09).
- Discussion of positive reinforcement vs. training pads:
- “You need to replace that feeling [from pads] with the feeling of grass under her paws.” (08:03)
- Luke: “When I poop in the right place, Becca does say, heck of a job, Brownie.” (08:52)
- Frustration with how much dog poop discourse invades text threads and daily life.
4. Division of Labor & Poop Pick-Up Philosophy
12:25–15:25
- How Andrew and Genevieve divvy up pick-up duty; plans to always bag and dispose immediately—no “Easter egg hunt” backlog.
- Wood chips as a tip for easy clean-up, per advice from Genevieve’s brother:
- “Genevieve keeps on talking about how gross it is to pick up the dog poop from the grass...” (19:07)
- Could wood chips make it less ‘shag carpeting’ and more manageable?
5. TBTL Tangent Machine: Band Name Blackout & IMDb Frustration
12:54–18:04
- Meandering attempt to recall band names (“Greta Van Fleet!”)—a classic TBTL spiral.
- Both vent about IMDb’s “initiativification” and awkward attempts to drive traffic through throttled article previews:
- “They’re trying to grab traffic...through shitty ads, but, like, it’s so weird.” — Andrew, 16:52
- Luke speculates IMDb is intentionally making free service worse to steer to IMDb Pro.
6. Dazzling Donors: Shoutouts and Community Love
22:59–37:33
- Ann Bost (Newton, MA): lauded for championing the “One by One Project”—a Boston charity supporting in-the-gaps needs for struggling families.
- “This is a really good idea...it’s very, very expensive to be poor.” — Luke, 25:25
- Cammie (“call me Cammy”) in Belfair, WA: praised for commitment, humor, and for “growing old” with the TBTL crew.
- “I want to support what you do and continue to grow old with you.” (35:28)
- Sparks introspection on the show’s longevity and the aging of the TBTL community:
- “Maybe that’s not...a bug. The idea that we are growing old with the listeners.” — Luke, 37:02
7. Top Story: The $10 Parking Judge
38:11–59:43
- Seattle judge pro tem David Rusna removed for forging a document to get a judge-parking discount (only $10 off!).
- “It bore a court seal and was stamped with the signature of the judge for whom Rusna was serving as pro tem.” — Luke, 43:09
- Was he entitled to the discount? Did he ever get it? The hosts riff on Better Call Saul, the psychology of petty fraud, and whether the Supreme Court overreacted.
- Luke: “If you had demonstrated that you will be cavalier about this thing, that’s as silly as $10 off the parking...it’s very hard for me to believe that your rulings are impartial...” (48:21)
- Andrew’s take: The act is serious, but permanent removal may be too harsh for an “ill-advised” first offense (50:54).
- Hilarity over the judge’s PR profile’s emphasis on “integrity” (59:27).
8. Voicemail: Listener Kristen on Roller Coaster Trauma
59:45–64:01
- KristIn from Sydney shares the tale of her daughter getting stuck on a dark roller coaster at Disneyland Paris—with only non-English-speaking strangers to help, but she handled it like a champ.
- Andrew commiserates, reinforcing his terror of being stuck and HAVING to walk down stairs on a coaster:
- “They need to get the jaws of life to get my hands off of the bar in front of me.” — Andrew, 61:43
9. Getting Older & Traffic Rage
67:49–79:32
- Tangent: Why some dangerous things (like driving) don’t always “feel” scary in the moment.
- Andrew narrowly avoids a traffic accident, struggles with road rage impulse:
- “I had to fight every instinct not to pull into that gas station...there was just, I mean, the split second of pure, unadulterated rage.” (74:25)
- Luke: The thing that triggers him most on the road isn’t near-misses—it’s being “judged” by other drivers.
- “That’s the one that makes my brain go into a totally irrational mode.” (79:13)
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- “When I poop in the right place, Becca does say, heck of a job, Brownie.” — Luke, 08:52
- “I salute it. That is awful. I’m sorry.” — Andrew, 08:56
- “Do you feel like the picking up...who’s going to be on the case with the dog poop in the yard?” — Luke, 11:25
- “You have a middle finger that could be seen from space. In fact, Artemis 2 reported it.” — Luke, 77:50
- “It is so reminiscent to me of Better Call Saul...” — Andrew, 41:14
- “If I had not slammed on the brakes so hard that they clicked on me, we would have been in an accident.” — Andrew, 73:31
Show Tone & Community Feel
- Deeply silly but fundamentally warm and honest.
- The hosts’ gentle self-mockery—about aging, mistakes, and puppy-rearing—underscores the comfort of long-term friendship.
- Responsive and affectionate to listeners, celebrating “growing old together” in the TBTL community.
- Even as they veer off-topic, the show remains grounded in mundane reality—the prosaic becomes the profound.
Useful Timestamps
- 00:00 – Modern Wi-Fi absurdity riff
- 03:25 – Lucy progress report, puppy potty training
- 12:18 – Dog poop yard “division of labor” and wood chips tip
- 15:25 – Band name blackout, IMDb tangent
- 22:59 – Dazzling Donors (Ann Bost & Cammy)
- 38:14 – Top Story: The Forged Judge’s Note ($10 parking discount)
- 59:45 – Voicemail: Listener Kristen’s roller-coaster stuck story
- 67:49 – Discussion: Perceived vs. real danger, driving, aging, and road rage
Final Notes
- The episode’s themes—mess management (literal or figurative), the heartbreak of human foibles, and the endurance of shared experience—are understated but poignant.
- Practical tips for pet owners, delicious tangents, and affectionate community banter make this classic TBTL: part goofy therapy session, part Friday happy hour.
Power out!